[LRflex] Re: A lesson in dealing with loss - CVS stops in-store film processing in California ;-(
- From: Robert Meier <robertmeier@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:56:51 -0500 (CDT)
Walmart still does 1-hour processing.
On Apr 8, 2012, at 2:48 PM, LEICAFLEX wrote:
> I used to take C-41 film processing for granted. Until yesterday.
>
> There were 3 CVS stores near my house that I would drop off a roll or
> more on a whim and return in an hour or so, with developed negatives
> and a CDROM with high enough resolution for emails to friends/family,
> and posting on the web. In fact, almost all of my pictures posted on
> www.travelife.com (URL forwards to LUG albums) were shot on film, then
> sent through a local CVS for processing. London, Stone Henge, Pisa,
> Firenze, Hangzhou, hiking trails on the SF peninsula, other local
> scenes, etc., all these were run through the same process, and it
> became part of my photographic lifestyle.
>
> The CVS employee at the photo counter told me in a sullen and
> matter-of-fact way yesterday that inhouse processing ended in March,
> and it now costs $9.99 plus tax for them to send of your roll to an
> outside lab - a CDROM, prints and neg's come back to your mailbox in 7
> to 14 days. My heart not only sank, it flew out of the window. The
> mail order reference email is ansco.services@xxxxxxxxx on the receipt,
> it sounds like a startup since they don't even have their own email
> domain.....wonder if anyone has any experience with this? CVS told me
> the chemicals for film processing is considered hazardous, and other
> chains like Walgreens will also stop processing soon.
>
> The real reason for posting this thread is to document and share my
> utter surprise, it is like my doctor telling me that I have a chronic
> ailment that only now has symptoms that are a signal of my fast
> approaching demise. I feel this way because of the attachment I have
> to film.....even though 95% or more of my photography is digital these
> days. I didn't feel this way about how LP records giving way to CD's.
> Perhaps it is the realization that my collection of Leica bodies (SM,
> M and R) will become museum pieces sooner rather than later. It will
> also lower the probability of (i) me shooting film due to the
> inconvenience, and (ii) selling film bodies (like a Leica R7) off at a
> good price since everyone else faces the same inconvenience. I
> understand our friends in Europe had experienced this shut down of
> film processing outlets several years ago, and we in the US have been
> lucky without knowing it until now.
>
> So I have done a bit of venting to our fellow photographers - forgive
> me. Has anyone come across a smart and economical compromise to keep
> shooting film without having to drive across town (or a different
> town) to drop off and collect one's results? In other words, if mail
> order is the only way for C-41 to survive, which service is best for
> the buck?
>
> Lastly, it may be a piece of sad news for me on Easter weekend, but it
> only makes the cross heavier that Kodak has to bear. I hope Kodak can
> survive their restructuring, this certainly does not help.
>
> Eric Chan
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